Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter generally relate to the field of communication systems, and, more particularly, to variable response interframe space in a communication system.
Communication systems may utilize a communication protocol which defines how information is communicated from a first device to a second device via a communications medium. The communications medium may be wired or wireless and may be associated with a physical layer protocol. Upper layer data (such as a media access control, MAC, layer data) may be divided, encapsulated, segmented, encoded and/or encrypted by the physical layer protocol to prepare a physical layer transmission. The physical layer transmission may be communicated via the communications medium from the first device (e.g., a transmitting device) to the second device (e.g., receiving device). An acknowledgment scheme may be used such that the second device can indicate whether the second device has successfully received one or more portions of the physical layer transmission. The acknowledgment may be sent from the second device as soon as practical after receiving the each physical layer transmission or after receiving a series of physical layer transmission.
A response interframe space (referred to as Response Interframe Space, or RIFS) is a time period following physical layer transmission during which the first and second devices refrain from transmitting on the communications medium. The RIFS time period may be used by the second device to process the physical layer transmission and generate an acknowledgment message. Because no packet transmission occurs during the RIFS time period, the communications medium is idle. As such, the RIFS time period may be considered overhead for the communication system. Conventional communication systems may define the RIFS based on a standardized time period so that the various devices that use the communications medium utilize the same RIFS as a fixed value. In some communication systems, the RIFS may be a predefined system parameter based on the network technology associated with the communication system.